Graduate Studies


The Graduate Research and Professional Conference will be held on Friday, April 3, 2026.
  • Wide shot of conference room filled with presentation posters
     
  • Two students presenting on stage
    The conference will be held in the University Union.
  • Female student speaking to a group in a conference room
    Proposal submissions due date TBD.
  • Student presenting her information to a faculty member
    Students who submit an abstract agree to present if accepted.
  • Students listening intently to a spokesperson
    All accepted abstracts will be posted on the Graduate Studies website in March.

Graduate Research and Professional Conference

The WIU School of Graduate Studies will host the 12th annual university-wide Graduate Research and Professional Conference on April 3, 2026. All WIU graduate students interested in participating are encouraged to submit a proposal for a presentation or performance online by the published deadline.  

 
Previous Conference Materials
2024 Conference Award Winners
Podium Presentations

1st place - Nathaniel Hines, Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration - "Beyond the Field: Making the Case for Teenage Employment."

2nd place - Kaylin Vos, Music-Choral Conducting - "Monophonic Harmony: Analysis of Plainchant through the Harmonic Series."

3rd place - Leo Ofili, General Experimental Psychology - "An Exploration of Self-Determined Motivation, Diversity Climate, and Organizational Commitment."

Performance Presentations

1st place - Sara BenBella, Theatre-Acting - "Waiting for Gadot: A Purgatory of the Self."

2nd place - Wesley Tilford, Theatre-Acting - "Scab for Hire."

3rd place - Ethan Schuller, Music-Musicology - "Cultivating the Sound of New China: the 20th Century Evolution of the Erhu."

Poster Presentations

1st place - Sarah Obregon, Biology - "Habitat type Determines Patterns of Divergence and Migration among Chicago Raccoon Populations."

2nd place - Abdul Latif Penddah, Biology - "The Effectiveness of Cryptolepine and Xylopic Acid in The Treatment of Malaria in Diabetes-Malaria Co-Morbidity in Sprague-Dawley Rats."

3rd place - Chiemeka Emeribe, Biology - "Biodegradation of Chlorpyrifos Insecticide by Bacillus Cereus ST06 and Chryseobacterium sp 6024 Isolated from Agricultural Soil in Nigeria."